Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where s Home?

American Mobility Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where s Home? RELEASED: DECEMBER 17, 2008. UPDATED: DECEMBER 29, 2008. Paul Taylor, Project Director Rich Morin, Senior Editor D'Vera Cohn, Senior Writer Wendy Wang, Research Analyst MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT: Pew Research Center 202 419-4328 http://pewresearch.org

Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Overview... 3 Acknowledgments 5 Characteristics of Movers and Stayers... 6 Why Do Movers Move and Stayers Stay?...... 13 Multiple Movers, Recent Movers, Likely Movers.. 21 The Many Definitions of Home... 24 Survey Topline..... 34

1 American Mobility Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where s Home? By D'Vera Cohn and Rich Morin, Pew Research Center Executive Summary Americans are settling down: Only 11.9% of the U.S. population changed residences between 2007 and 2008, the lowest share since the Census Bureau began to publish statistics on this topic in the late 1940s. A new national survey of 2,260 adults by the Pew Research Center s Social & Demographic Trends project explores the social and economic dimensions of geographic mobility in the United States. Its main findings: Moving or Staying More than six-in-ten adults (63%) have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, while 37% have never left their hometowns. Most adults (57%) have not lived outside their current home state in the U.S. At the opposite end of the spectrum, 15% have lived in four or more states. Where s Home? More than one-in-five U.S.-born adults (23%) say the place they consider home in their heart isn t where they re living now. And among those who have lived in two or more communities, fully 38% say they aren t living in their heart home now. The most common reasons people identify some other place as home are that it s where they were born or raised (26%); where they lived the longest (18%); or where their family is from (15%). Just 4% say it s where they went to high school. Blacks are more likely than whites to say the place they re living now isn t their heart home. Among adults who have lived in at least two communities, 54% of blacks and just 35% of whites say they identify most with a former hometown. Hispanics fall in the middle; 40% say they identify most with a former hometown. Can you go home again? Yes, but not everyone wants to. Just four-in-ten of those who identify someplace else as home want to go back and live there. But about half stay in close touch with family and friends back home, either by visiting several times a year (45%), or by phoning (53%) or emailing (46%) at least once a week.

2 Who Moves and Who Stays Put? The Midwest is the most rooted region: 46% of adult residents there say they have spent their entire life in one community. The least rooted is the West, where only 30% of adult residents have stayed in their hometown. Residents of the South (36%) and East (38%) fall in between. College education is a key marker of the likelihood to move: Three-quarters of college graduates (77%) have changed communities at least once, compared with just over half (56%) of those with a high school diploma or less. College graduates also are more likely to have lived in multiple states. Americans who have never left their hometowns have a greater number of extended family members who live within an hour s drive of them than do Americans who no longer live in their hometowns a median of nearly eight vs. about three. Why Do People Move or Stay? Asked why they have not left their hometown, stayers cite major reasons such as the tug of family ties (74%), the desire to remain where they grew up (69%) and their belief that their communities are good places to raise children (59%). Fewer than half (40%) say a major reason for staying put is a job or business opportunities. The most frequently cited major reason that movers give for choosing their current community is job or business opportunities (44%). Somewhat smaller shares of movers say they relocated to where they now live because their new community is a good place to raise children (36%) or because they have family ties there (35%). Westerners are more likely than residents of other regions to choose amenities climate and recreation as major reasons for living where they do. This is true for those who were born there and never left, as well as for those who have moved there. Levels of community satisfaction do not appear to be correlated with people s past mobility patterns. Equal shares of movers and stayers about six-in-ten rate their current community as good or excellent. Going Anywhere? Four-in-ten Americans say they are very likely or somewhat likely to move within five years. Among those especially likely to say so are younger people, unmarried Americans and the foreign born. Movers are more likely than stayers to say there is a good chance that they will move in the next five years. Not surprisingly, only a third of those who rate their current communities highly predict they ll move within five years, compared with half of those who give their current communities a poor rating.

3 Overview As a nation, the United States is often portrayed as restless and rootless. Census data, though, indicate that Americans are settling down. Only 11.9% of Americans changed residences between 2007 and 2008, the smallest share since the government began tracking this trend in the late 1940s. A new Pew Social & Demographic Trends survey finds that most Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, although a notable number nearly four-in-ten have never left the place in which they were born. 1 Asked why they live where they do, movers most often cite the pull of economic opportunity. Stayers most often cite the tug of family and connections. Settling Down Share of Population Changing Residence,1948-2008 25 20 15 10 5 0 1946 1954 1962 1970 1978 1986 1994 2002 2010 Note: The numbers, from the Current Population Survey, indicate percentage of the population who moved in the previous year. Both the survey and Census data indicate that the biggest differences in the characteristics of movers and stayers revolve around geography and education. In the Midwest, nearly half of adult residents say they have spent their entire lives in their hometown. That compares with fewer than a third of those who live in Western states. Cities, suburbs and small towns have more movers than stayers, while rural areas are more evenly split. Threequarters of college graduates have moved at least once, compared with just over half of Americans with no more than a high school diploma. College graduates also move longer distances and move more often than Americans with a high school diploma or less, and employment plays a greater role in their decisions about where to live. By income group, the most affluent Americans are the most likely to have moved. The Census Bureau s Current Population Survey indicates that the number of people who moved between 2007 and 2008, 34 million, was the lowest since 1959-60, when the population of the U.S. was 41% smaller than it is now. The annual migration rate, which held at about 20% through the mid-1960s, has drifted downward since then to its current low of 11.9%. Analysts say the long-term decline in migration has occurred because the U.S. population is getting older and most moves are made when people are young. Another brake on moving is the rise of two-career couples, because it is more difficult to coordinate a relocation when two jobs are involved. On top of these long term trends, the current economic downturn has led to a further decline in migration, because jobs are typically one of the key magnets that induce people to move. 1 The Pew survey defines a mover as someone who has changed communities, while the Census Bureau uses a broader definition that also includes people who moved to a new home in the same community.

4 The Pew Social & Demographic Trends survey of 2,260 adults, which was conducted Oct. 3-19, 2008, asked respondents why they have stayed in their hometowns or have moved to their current community. This report combines the survey findings with Census Bureau data on migration patterns between states and regions. The survey also posed questions to U.S.-born movers about the place in your heart you consider to be home, and to foreign-born respondents about the country in your heart you consider to be home. Home means different things to different people. Among U.S.-born adults who have lived in more than one community, nearly four-in-ten (38%) say the place they consider home isn t where they re living now. But there s a wide range of definitions of home among Americans who have lived in at least one place besides their original hometown: 26% say it s where they were born or raised; 22% say it s where they live now; 18% say it s where they have lived the longest; 15% say it s where their family comes from; and 4% say it s where they went to high school. About the Survey Results for this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,260 adults living in the continental United States. A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. A total of 1,502 interviews were completed with respondents contacted by landline telephone and 758 from those contacted on their cellular phone. The data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the continental United States. Interviews conducted Oct. 3-19, 2008 2,260 interviews Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points for results based on the total sample at the 95% confidence level. Note on terminology: Whites include only non- Hispanic whites. Blacks include only non-hispanic blacks. Hispanics are of any race. Survey interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Interviews conducted in English or Spanish. As for foreign-born adults, a majority say that the U.S. is home, while nearly four-in-ten reserve that designation for their country of birth. Not surprisingly, the longer an immigrant lives in this country, the more likely the U.S. is considered home. Among all respondents to the Pew Research Center survey, 57% say they have not lived in the U.S. outside their current state: 37% have never left their hometown and 20% have left their hometown (or native country) but not lived outside their current state. The Pew survey finds that stayers overwhelmingly say they remain because of family ties and because their hometowns are good places to raise children. Their life circumstances match those explanations. Most stayers say at least half a dozen members of How Many Places Have You Lived? Same town DK/Refused 37% Four or 15% more states 12% 20% 15% Same state Three states Two states

5 their extended families live within an hour s drive; for 40%, more than 10 relatives live nearby. A majority of stayers also cite a feeling of belonging as a major reason for staying put. Movers are far less likely to cite those kinds of ties. Fewer than four-in-ten say a major reason they moved to their current community has to do with family or child-rearing. Most movers have five or fewer extended-family members living within an hour s drive of them, and 26% have none. The most popular reason that movers choose a new community, selected by a 44% plurality, is job or business opportunities, according to the Pew survey. About the same share of stayers (40%) cite job or business opportunities as a major reason for staying, but far more stayers choose reasons related to family and friends. Movers are more likely than stayers to say that it is likely they will move in the next five years. But despite those and other differences, equal shares of movers and stayers about six-in-ten rate their communities overall as good to excellent. Acknowledgments We received valuable help from Paul Taylor, director of the Social & Demographic Trends project, and from Wendy Wang, research analyst. Other colleagues at the Pew Research Center also contributed to this report, including Andrew Kohut, president; Scott Keeter, director of survey research; and Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. The maps that accompany this report were prepared by Michael Keegan and Stephen Rountree. Number-checking was done by Daniel Dockterman and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera. Marcia Kramer copy-edited this report. We were assisted in survey design by Cary Funk, associate professor in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

6 Characteristics of Movers and Stayers Who Stays and Who Moves? Most adult Americans (63%) have moved at least once in their lives, but more than a third (37%) have never left their hometowns, except for college or military service, according to the Pew Social & Demographic Trends survey. If a snapshot could capture the most prominent characteristics of movers, it would show a college graduate who now makes her home in a Western city. The stayer s photo would portray a high school graduate living in a Midwestern rural community. The nation s most rooted region is the Midwest, where 46% of adult residents say they have spent their entire lives in their hometown. The most transient is the West, where only 30% have. The East (38%) and South (36%) fall in between. Rural residents are the most rooted Americans. Only a third of the people living in U.S. urban neighborhoods and suburbs say they have spent their entire lives in the same place. 2 That compares with 48% of Americans living in rural areas. The sharpest difference between movers and stayers is in their level of education. Americans who relocate are far more likely to hold college degrees. Three-quarters of college graduates (77%) have moved at least once, compared with just over half (56%) of Americans with a high school education or less. This likely reflects the greater demand for college graduates in the national job market, coupled with relatively few job opportunities for college graduates in some hometowns, especially those in rural areas. Education and earnings often track each other, and a similar picture emerges when Pew survey data are examined through the prism of annual income. Only a quarter of the highest-income Americans those with family incomes of Characteristics of Movers and Stayers Movers Stayers % % Total 63 37 Gender Men 60 40 Women 65 35 Age 18-29 56 44 30-49 64 35 50-64 63 37 65+ 62 37 Race/Ethnicity White 61 39 Black 68 32 Hispanic 66 34 Education College grad+ 77 23 HS grad or less 56 43 Family Income $75,000+ 66 34 $50K-74K 58 42 $30K-49K 62 38 LT $30K 61 38 Area East 62 38 Midwest 54 46 South 64 36 West 70 30 Type of Community Urban 65 35 Suburban 66 33 Small town 62 37 Rural 52 48 2 Stayers are defined as people who say they have lived in the same town except during college or active military duty. Note: Stayer numbers include people who say they lived in the same town except during college or active military duty.

7 $100,000-plus have lived in one community for their entire lives. Analysis by age group produces a seemingly contradictory finding: Young people, the most restless generation, include a higher share of stayers than older cohorts. Among adults 18-29, 44% have never left their hometowns, compared with 37% of Americans ages 50 and older. There is an explanation for this: Many young adults have not yet made their first move. Asked whether they are likely to move within five years, most young stayers say yes, while most older stayers say no. The likelihood of being a stayer or mover does not differ by race or ethnicity, but there is somewhat of a difference by gender: 40% of men are stayers, compared with 35% of women. Americans who stay in their hometowns also are more likely than those who have moved to say they have many local friends 33% compared with 24% for movers. Movers are somewhat more likely (26%) to say they have a below-average number of local friends, compared with stayers (18%). The flip side of the question about local friends is this: A larger share of movers than stayers (27% vs. 18%) say they have many friends in places other than their own community. Movers are less likely than stayers to say they have only a few friends in other areas (23% vs. 35%). Movers (52%) are slightly more likely than stayers (47%) to say they are very involved or somewhat involved in their communities. Among movers, most (56%) have lived in their communities for a decade or more, including a third (32%) who have resided there for 20 years or more. Americans who moved within the past five years account for 33% of movers.

8 What Do Census Data Say About Moving? Despite the decline in annual migration rates, other government data show that a rising share of Americans do not live in their place of birth. Two-thirds of U.S.-born Americans (67%) now live in the state in which they were born, according to Census Bureau data. The share has declined gradually for decades; it was 77% in 1940. The nation s slowing annual migration rate and increasing lifetime mobility reflect different social forces. The annual rate has declined because of recent trends, such as the aging of the population and the rise of twoearner couples, that make people less likely to pull up stakes. Economic hard times also reduce the annual migration rate. The shrinking share of Americans who live in their state of birth is a reflection of long-term social and demographic trends that promote mobility for example, the growing share of Americans with college degrees, a group that is more likely to move long distances than are Americans with a high school diploma or less. Over these same decades, immigration has increased as well: Foreign-born residents make up 13% of the U.S. population, compared with 6% in 1980. Young People Move More % who moved in 2006-2007, by age 40 % 30 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Note: The numbers are from the 2007 American Community Survey. Generally, Census Bureau figures complement those from the Pew survey. Among the overall findings: People move when they are young. The median age of the U.S. population is 37.1 years, according to the 2007 American Community Survey, but the median age of people who moved within the past year is the late 20s. Census data also indicate, as do the Pew survey findings, that residents of Western states are more mobile than residents of Midwest and Rust Belt states. Most Americans who move relocate within the same county, according to Census Bureau surveys. About half of all moves are for housing-related reasons, such as buying a new house or moving to a better neighborhood. A quarter cite family-related reasons such as getting married or divorced, or setting up a new household. Work-related reasons, from taking a new job to retiring, account for 16% of moves. Note: The Census figures for people who now live in their birth state include people of all ages, including those who may have lived in other states. That is why they differ somewhat from the Pew survey figures for adults who have never lived away from their birth state.

9 Living in Birth State Among U.S.-born adults, a majority (56%) have never lived outside their state of birth, including those who have never left their hometowns, according to the Pew survey. High school graduates are less likely to have left their birth state than those with more education. Among the regions, the Midwest has the highest share of adult residents who have never lived outside their birth state. This echoes findings about people who have never left their hometown. Among Midwestern adults, 64% say they have never left their state of birth. That is about the same as the share of adults living in the East (60%) and is higher than the share living in the West (56%) or South (53%). Date from the American Community Survey, covering the period 2005 through 2007, offer more detailed stateby-state estimates on two related questions: What share of current adult residents of a given state were born in another state? And what share of residents born in a state are still living in that state as adults? States with a high share of adults who were born in another state might be referred to as magnet states. Nevada tops this list; fully 86% of adults currently residing in Nevada were born in another state reflecting the fact that this is a state with a relatively small population base that has been growing rapidly in recent years, largely through immigration from other states. Next on the ranking of magnet states are Arizona (72%), Alaska (71%) and Florida (70%). Aside from Nevada, these are the only states where at least seven-in-ten adults were born in another state. At the bottom of this list are New York, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan. In each of these states, fewer than a quarter of current adult residents were born in some other state. Another way to look at state migration patterns is to explore what share of people born in a particular state still live there now as adults. By that measure, Texas is the stickiest state in the nation fully 76% of people born in Texas still live there as adults. Meantime, Nevada, which tops the list of magnet states, ranks well down the list of sticky states; it holds on to fewer than half of its natives (48%); placing it 44 th on this list. Like Nevada, Alaska is a premier magnet state (it ranks third) but a poor sticky state it holds on to barely a quarter (28%) of people who were born there and ranks dead last among the 50 states in this category. Not all states rank high in one category and low in the other. Florida, for example, is the nation s fourth leading magnet state and its 11 th leading sticky state. It has attracted many newcomers in recent years, but at the same time, its natives are inclined to stick around. At the other end of the spectrum, some states attract relatively few migrants and a large share of their natives have moved elsewhere. Only 40% of adults born in North Dakota still live there. In South Dakota, 43% do. Yet in both states, more than 60% of the current population was born in the state. West Virginia also ranks low on both lists. Fewer than half (49%) of adults born there still live there; and more than 70% of the current population was born in that state. College graduates are far less likely than high school graduates to live in their birth state, according to Pew survey data. Less than half of college graduates 40% say they have lived in only one state. Among Americans with no more than a high school diploma, two-thirds (66%) have lived in only one state, the survey found.

10 Two-thirds of young adults, ages 18-29, have not lived outside their state of birth, but as noted elsewhere they also are the most likely to say that they probably will move within five years. Among all older age groups, about 55% have never lived outside their birth state. There are no differences in this regard between the genders or between blacks and whites. But U.S.-born Hispanic adults are markedly more likely than other Americans to have lived in only one state 72% do. Among religious groups, a notably low share of Hispanic Catholics (22%) live outside their birth state. At the other extreme, most Americans who say they are religiously unaffiliated (53%) live outside the state in which they were born.

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12 Different States Among all American adults, 57% have lived in only one state in the U.S. The remainder is split among those who have lived in two different states (15%), three states (12%) or four or more states (15%). But those statistics hide considerable variation by gender, age and education. Characteristics of People by How Many States They Have Lived In All adults One Two Three Four or more 57 15 12 15 Men have moved around more than women. Women are more likely to have lived in two states (18%) than four (12%). Men are more likely to have lived in four states (19%) than in two (12%). Older Americans are more likely than younger ones to have lived in four or more states. Looking at the combined impact of age and gender, a quarter of men ages 50 and older (25%) say they have lived in four or more states. Men Women 18-49 men 18-49 women 50+ men 50+ women College grad 57 57 60 60 54 53 40 19 12 11 19 18 14 18 12 11 12 12 15 10 10 11 25 18 13 15 16 25 HS or less 66 14 10 10 Note: Don t know/refused responses are not shown.

13 Why Do Movers Move and Stayers Stay? Movers are more likely to say they live where they do for job or business reasons than for family reasons, but no one factor is chosen by a majority of movers. Most stayers say they stay for reasons that evoke their family connections and roots, while a much smaller share selects economic causes. For movers, the most-cited major reason for living where they do is job or business opportunities; 44% cite this. A somewhat lower proportion say it is because their current community is a good place to raise children (36%) or because they have family ties there (35%). Education or schooling also is selected by three-in-ten (29%), many of them in their college years. Lesser shares of movers choose climate, recreation, culture or retirement as major reasons. Medical or health reasons are cited by only a small share of movers or stayers. Three-quarters of stayers (74%) say that family ties are a major reason they have lived in their hometowns for their entire lives, and nearly as many (69%) say it is because they grew up there. Most stayers (59%) also say a major reason for not leaving their hometown is that it is a good place to raise children, and that they feel they belong there (58%). About half (49%) cite connections to friends as a major reason. A smaller share (35%) say they have no desire to live anywhere else. Stayers are less likely to cite economic reasons than living close to family and friends in their decision to live where they do: 40% choose job or business opportunities as a major reason for staying, and 29% mention the cost of living. Why Do Movers Move? % saying this is a major reason Job or business 44 Good place to raise 36 children Family Ties 35 Education or schooling 29 Cost of living 24 Climate 18 Recreational and outdoor 17 activities Retirement 13 Medical or health reasons 11 Cultural activities 10 Why Do Stayers Stay? % saying this is a major reason Family Ties 74 Grew up here Good place to raise children Belong here Connections to friends Job or business No desire to live someplace else Climate Cost of living Recreational and outdoor activities Community involvement Medical or health reasons Cultural activities 69 59 58 49 40 35 31 29 25 19 19 16

14 While not their top reasons, climate and the outdoors are more important to stayers than to movers. Three-in-ten stayers say climate is a major reason for them; 25% cite recreation and outdoor activities. Movers: Who Moves for Which Reasons? More than six-in-ten adults have changed communities at least once in their lives, and their reasons for doing so vary with their demographic circumstances, according to the Pew survey. Job or business reasons are most likely to be cited by men, college graduates and people with high incomes. Family ties are cited most frequently by high school graduates or Americans with moderate to low incomes. Other reasons that are chosen less frequently by movers overall are cited by some subgroups in notable numbers for example, climate and outdoor recreation by residents of the West, education by people in their college years, and retirement by Americans ages 65 and older. About half of men (48%) cite jobs or business opportunities as a major reason for locating where they now live, compared with four-in-ten (41%) women. This may be at least in part because women are less likely to hold a job than men and those who do are less likely than men to work fulltime. Age plays a role, too: About half of all Americans ages 30-49 (51%) say job or business opportunities are a major reason Job or Business Opportunities Was this a reason you moved to your community? they moved. Most Americans ages 65 and older (52%) say that was not a reason. Whites (46%) are more likely than blacks (34%) to say jobs were a major reason for their move. College graduates, who are more likely to have changed communities than Americans with less education, are the most likely to say they moved for job or business reasons: 56% say that is a major reason. Among Americans All Male Female 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ College grad Some college HS or less Urban Suburban Small town Rural Republican Democrat Independent Married Not married Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason 33 34 33 44 41 40 39 48 45 45 45 41 37 43 51 56 52 51 49 Note: Based on those who have moved to a different community at least once in their lives. Don t know/refused responses are not shown. 12 18 21 14 15 18 17 21 18 18 19 18 20 22 18 16 17 20 16 52 37 44 46 45 44 39 30 30 37 40 43 36 38 27 31 35 33 28

15 with a high school education or less, only a third (34%) say a major reason for moving was a job or business opportunities. Americans with some college education fall between the two: 45% say this is a major reason. Among income groups, most Americans with household incomes of at least $75,000 (56%) say a major reason for their move was a job or business opportunities. Only a third of movers with incomes under $30,000 (33%) cite this as a major reason. Married people are more likely than Americans who are not married to cite job reasons for moving. There also are differences when responses are analyzed by stage of life, which combines age, marital status and presence of minor children. Looked at that way, the most likely group to say a job was a major reason for moving (58%) are Americans who are married, middle-aged (35-59) and with minor children. That is higher than for younger singles (44%), middle-aged singles (40%), middle-aged married people without children (48%), older singles (30%) and older married people (42%). Did You Move Because of the Cost of Living? The cost of living is cited by a smaller share of movers than jobs or business opportunities, but some groups are more likely to cite it than others. Among Americans with a high school education or less, 27% say the cost of living is a major reason they moved to their current community, compared with 20% of college graduates. Among Americans with incomes of less than $30,000 a year, 34% say the cost of living is a major reason, compared with 20% of Americans with incomes of at least $75,000. There is little difference among age groups in the share that cite cost of living as a major reason for moving. But among those who say that retirement was a major reason for their move, half (50%) say that the cost of living also was a major factor in choosing their locale.

16 Did You Move for Family Reasons? Two family-related reasons for moving were offered in the Pew survey, and they were chosen by somewhat different groups. Ethnicity, nativity and religiosity play a role in whether people are likely to say they moved because their community is a good place to raise children. Income, education and marital status make a difference in whether Americans say family ties are a major reason they moved where they did. About half (48%) of Hispanics say that they moved because their community is a good place to raise children, compared with just over a third of whites (35%) and blacks (36%). Parents, as well as all Americans in their 30s and 40s, are among the most likely groups to say that a major reason they moved to their local community is that it is a good place to raise children. Half or more of married couples with children under 18 say that is a major reason they moved 48% for young couples and 57% for middle-aged couples. Americans who attend religious services at least weekly are more likely to cite living in a good place to raise children than are those who say they attend services seldom or never (41% vs. 31%). Family Ties Was this a reason you moved to your community? All $75,000+ $50K-$75K $30K-$49K LT $30,000 College grad HS or less Conservative GOP Liberal Democrat Married Never married Other unmarried* Retirement move** Not retirement*** Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason 35 30 33 31 30 33 32 30 39 42 39 41 41 55 *Other unmarried include divorced, separated and widowed. **Respondent said retirement was a major reason for move. ***Respondent said retirement was not a reason for move. Note: Based on those who have moved to a different community at least once in their lives. 18 15 14 19 18 22 19 18 21 16 17 17 15 14 46 52 50 55 46 40 43 47 49 56 41 42 43 30 But those same groups do not necessarily choose family ties as a major reason for moving where they did. On this response, there are no differences by religiosity, race, age or nativity. Instead, income plays a role: Americans with family incomes of less than $30,000 a year are more likely than those with higher incomes to say family ties were a major reason for moving. Four-in-ten of the lowest-income group say so, compared with 30% of those with incomes of $75,000 or more. Income and education levels often track each other, as they do on this question: Americans with a high school diploma or less are more likely than college graduates to cite family ties as a major reason for moving.

17 One notable finding is that among people who say retirement was a major reason for moving, half also say that family ties were a major reason, perhaps because they want to be closer to children and grandchildren. Among those who say retirement played no role in their move, only 30% say family ties were a major reason for moving. Good Place to Raise Children Was this a reason you moved to your community? Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason All White Black Hispanic 36 35 36 48 17 17 21 14 45 48 42 35 What about Education, Climate or Activities? Education or schooling is cited as a major reason for moving by only three-in-ten Americans, but among some subgroups, half or more choose this. They include young people ages 18-22 (51%) and the foreign-born (47%). Education or schooling also is chosen as a major reason by 41% of Hispanics. Climate and outdoor recreation are chosen by fewer than one-in-five Americans as a major reason, but those two amenities have particular appeal to some groups. Americans living in the West choose climate (29%) and recreation or outdoor activities (25%) as major reasons more often than do other adults. So do people who say retirement was a major reason for their move: 43% say climate also is a major reason, and 36% say the outdoors is a major reason. Not surprisingly, the likelihood of citing retirement as a major reason for moving rises with age; fully a third of Americans ages 65 and older say retirement was a major reason for their last move. Even in the pre-retirement years of 50-64, only 15% say so. Retirement reasons are cited by a higher share of Americans living in the West or South than in the East or Midwest. Medical or health reasons are chosen by only one-in-nine Americans, but they are selected as a major factor for moving by one-in-five Americans ages 65 and older and by the same proportion of those with annual incomes under $30,000. One-in-five Hispanics (22%) say medical or health reasons are a major explanation for their last move, compared with 8% of whites. 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Religious services weekly Religious services seldom Urban Suburban Small town Rural Note: Based on those who have moved to a different community at least once in their lives. Don t know/refused responses are not shown. 30 35 30 31 27 43 41 39 40 44 21 17 15 19 15 16 18 19 16 20 48 48 52 52 53 38 39 45 42 35

18 Just 10% of movers say that cultural activities were a major reason they chose their current community. But among those who say retirement is a major reason they moved, 22% also say they moved for cultural activities. Stayers: Who Stays for Which Reasons? Nearly four-in-ten American adults have lived in one community for their entire life, and their most oftenmentioned reasons for doing so revolve around family, place or friends. In general, these reasons are more likely to be cited by women than men, by middleaged or older people rather than younger ones Family Ties and by Americans with moderate household Is this a reason you stay in your hometown? incomes rather than by those with high or low Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason incomes. Three reasons that reflect relationships and roots are particularly important to women, according to the Pew survey. Eight-in-ten women, compared with seven-in-ten men, say family ties are a major reason they have not left. Asked whether they stay because their community is a good place to raise children, 64% of women say this is a major reason, compared with 54% of men. Likewise, 63% of women and 53% of men say that a major reason, for them, is, I belong here. Looking at income groups, family ties are a major reason given by 83% of Americans with moderate annual family incomes of $30,000 to $50,000, compared with 72% among Americans with incomes of $75,000 or more. It also compares with 68% among Americans with incomes of less than $30,000 a year. Americans with moderate incomes also are most likely (83%) to say that I grew up here is a major reason they stay in their hometowns. Different age groups of stayers tend to cite different reasons that express their connectedness to their hometown. Americans ages 30-49 and 50-64 are more likely to choose I grew up here as a major reason for staying (73% each) than are those who are older or younger. Stayers who are ages 50 and older are All Men Women $75,000+ $50K-$75K $30K-$49K LT $30,000 East Midwest South West Urban Suburban Small town Rural Republican Democrat Independent Note: Responses shown only from those who have not moved from their hometown. Don t know/refused responses are not shown. 74 69 72 68 71 66 70 79 77 83 79 76 72 77 73 71 80 81 16 17 14 14 18 16 17 14 15 15 11 16 10 14 12 7 11 12 11 14 9 12 13 7 10 12 17 10 9 13 13 10 9 11 14 7

19 more likely to say, I just feel I belong here (69% say it is a major reason) than those who are younger (51%). These older stayers also are more likely to say they have no desire to live elsewhere than younger stayers (45% vs. 28%). Life stage makes a difference in likelihood to cite some reasons. Nearly eight-in-ten (78%) middle-aged parents of children under 18 say that a major reason they stay is that their community is a good place to raise children. Overall, 59% of stayers say that. Grew Up Here Is this a reason you stay in your hometown? All 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason 69 66 73 73 60 15 16 14 22 11 13 13 13 13 22 About half of stayers choose connections to friends as a major reason for staying, but this reason is more important to college graduates (60%) than to others. $75,000+ $50K-$75K $30K-$49K LT $30,000 64 77 83 62 24 11 13 9 9 8 16 21 Conservative 72 12 14 Moderate 72 16 12 Liberal 59 22 16 Note: Responses shown only from those who have not moved from their hometown. Don t know/refused responses are not shown.

20 What about Economic Reasons? Compared with the overwhelming majorities who say that family and community are major reasons for staying, four-in-ten stayers say a major factor in where they live is job or business opportunities. This reason is most popular with older stayers, college graduates and people with higher incomes. Half of stayers ages 50 and older say a job or business opportunity is a major reason they stay, compared with a third of those who are younger than that. College graduates (52%) are more likely to cite job or business reasons as a major factor for them, compared with those with a high school education or less (37%). Climate and recreation or outdoor activities are less often chosen than other reasons for staying. But a clear pattern emerges of regional preference: Westerners are more likely to cite these reasons than are residents of other parts of Job or Business Opportunities Is this a reason you stay in your hometown? the country: 43% say climate is a major reason they stay, and 34% say recreation and outdoor activities are a major reason. Medical or health reasons also are not chosen by a large share of stayers overall. But among Americans ages 65 and older, nearly four-in-ten say that is a major reason they continue to live in their hometown. All 18-49 50+ College grad HS or less Married Not married Major Reason Minor Reason Not a Reason 33 40 37 34 45 50 52 Note: Responses shown only from those who have not moved from their hometown. Don t know/refused responses are not shown. 36 32 32 32 27 32 26 26 30 28 32 20 20 20

21 Multiple Movers, Recent Movers and Likely Movers Multiple Movers In their characteristics and reasons for living where they do, Americans who have moved around a lot defined as living in four or more states are extreme versions of all movers. These multiple movers account for 36% of Americans who have lived in more than one state and 15% of adult Americans. Multiple movers are even more likely than all movers to say they moved for job reasons and even less likely to say they moved for family reasons. That heightens their differences from stayers. Half of multiple movers (51%) say job or business opportunities are a major reason they moved to their current community. That is higher than the share of all movers (44%) or stayers (40%) who say so. Only a quarter of multiple movers (27%) say that a major reason for their move is that their neighborhood is a good place to raise children lower than the share of all movers (36%) or stayers (59%). These reasons are in sync with the demographics of multiple movers, including the high levels of income and education that are tied to the likelihood of moving for job reasons. One in four multiple movers has a family income of $100,000 or more, compared with 11% of Americans who still live in their hometown. Completing the picture, 45% of multiple movers are college graduates, compared with 17% of stayers. Multiple movers may not be choosing communities on the basis of whether they are good places to raise children because most of them have adult children (57%), a higher share than hometown residents (46%). They tend to be an older group than stayers. Even more so than all movers, multiple movers often have few family members nearby. A third (32%) have no extended family within an hour s drive, and 71% have five or fewer relatives nearby. Most stayers, as noted earlier, have six or more extended family members in the area. Still, multiple movers do not necessarily feel detached from their communities. Most of them (56%) say they are somewhat or very involved in local community or neighborhood activities, compared with just under half (47%) of hometown residents. More than half (57%) have lived in their local communities for at least 10 years, about the same proportion as for all movers. Lastly, many multiple movers say it is likely they will move again. About half (48%) say another move is likely within five years, compared with only 31% of hometown residents who say so, and not much different from the 44% of all movers who say so.

22 Who Moved Most Recently? One-in-three Americans who have moved at least once did so within the past five years. These Americans are much younger and less likely to be white than movers who relocated longer ago. Their circumstances are less established, and they are less family-focused in their reasons for moving. Two-thirds of movers ages 18-29, the prime moving years, say they have relocated within the past five years. That is double the share of recent movers among Americans ages 30-49 and more than triple the share of recent movers among Americans ages 50-64. Among the major race and ethnic groups, non-hispanic whites are the least likely to be recent movers and Hispanics are the most likely. These differences by race, ethnicity and age are due in part to the fact that the nation s black and Hispanic residents are on average younger than its white population, and older people are more likely to be settled down. The median age of the nation s non-hispanic whites in 2007 was 40.8 years, compared with 31.1 years for blacks and 27.6 years for Hispanics, according to Census Bureau estimates. Reflecting its high proportion of young people, the recent mover group includes many people who are not fully established or settled down in other ways. They have lower Recent vs. Earlier Movers Time since last move 5 Years or less 20+ Years % % Total 33 32 Race/Ethnicity Whites 27 38 Blacks 43 26 Hispanics 48 14 Age 18-29 65 5 30-49 33 23 50-64 20 49 65+ 15 57 Area East 32 35 Midwest 28 40 South 34 28 West 34 30 Marital Status Married 26 36 Not married 41 27 Note: Based on those who have moved to a different community at least once in their lives. Don t know/refused responses are not shown. incomes than other Americans and are less likely to own their homes. Only a quarter of married adults are recent movers. These recent movers are not deeply rooted in their current communities. Six-in-ten (63%) say they are somewhat or very likely to move again within five years. That figure includes 39% who say they are very likely to move, which is about the same proportion of all Americans who say it is very or somewhat likely they will relocate within five years. These recent arrivals in their communities have fewer friends and family around them than other movers. Nearly three-fourths (73%) have five or fewer members of their extended family close by. A third (34%) say they have fewer local friends than most people. When it comes to their reasons for moving where they did, recent arrivals do not differ much from other movers. They are somewhat more likely, though, to say that family ties or wanting to live in a good community to raise children were not reasons for their move.

23 Who Might Move in Five Years? Looking ahead five years, four-in-ten Americans say they are very likely or somewhat likely to move. This mobile group includes half or more of younger people, unmarried Americans and the foreign-born. Going Anywhere? Looking ahead five years, how likely is it that you will move away from the community where you are living now? Very/Somewhat likely Not too/not at all likely Americans who have already moved are more likely to say they are likely to move again: 45% of movers say so, compared with 31% of Americans who have never left their hometowns. Whites Blacks Hispanics 18-29 65 59 35 43 38 34 64 56 But even among stayers, the pull of moving is strong for younger people, ages 18-29. A majority of stayers in that age group (53%) say they are likely to move in the next five years. The share of likely movers among young people who already have relocated at least once is even higher: 75%. 30-49 50-64 65+ Urban Suburban Small town Rural 37 34 19 45 46 36 26 62 65 79 53 54 63 73 Looking at education levels, college and high school graduates who already have moved are equally likely to say they probably will move again in five years. Among stayers, though, college graduates or those with some college are more likely than those with less education to say they probably will be living elsewhere within five years. Married Not married Looking at the role of community satisfaction, Americans who rate their communities highly are far less likely (33%) to predict they will move within five years than those who give their communities a low rating (56%). 48 32 Note: Don t know/refused responses are not shown. 49 68

24 The Many Definitions of Home Home is a place in the heart as well as a place on the map and for more than one-in-five Americans, these are different places. Some 23% of all adults born in the United States say the place they consider home isn t the community where they re living now. Among those who have lived in more than one place at some point in their lives, fully 38% say their heart home isn t where they re living now. And a third (32%) of adults who have moved say there s someplace other than where they live now that they identify with almost as much as their current home. What makes these mobile Americans think of a place as their heart home? There s a wide range of reasons. About a quarter say it s the place they were born or raised, while about one-in-five say it s where they live now and another one-in-five say it s where they have lived the longest. Also, some 15% say it s where their family is from. Just 4% say it s where they went to high school. Where s Home? Place living now 60 Some other place 38 Meantime, nearly four-in-ten U.S.-born adults have no reason to be conflicted about where home is: They never left the communities where they were born. Note: Based on U.S.-born adults who have moved to a different community at least once in their lives. The survey finds that notions of home are also complicated for immigrants, who make up about 13% of the total U.S. population. Among these new Americans, the tug and pull of current and former lives act differently on different people. Slightly more than half (54%) say they consider the United States to be their home, while 38% say their native country remains closest to their heart. The longer an immigrant has lived in this country, the more likely the U.S. is considered to be home. Among many U.S.-born Americans, neither the passage of time nor the accumulation of multiple moves undoes the ties that bind them to the place they consider home. More than half of all Americans who moved to their current community at least 20 years ago still identify some other place as their heart home (21%) or say somewhere else is nearly as special to them as their current home (37%). The good news for U.S.-born movers who strongly identify with some other community is that you can go home again, especially to visit. Fully 45% say they visit their heart home at least several times a year, while just 7% say they never go back. In addition, more than half say they call family or friends in their other hometown at least once a week and send email or text messages to them nearly as often. But would they want to return there to live? Here, opinion is divided. About four-in-10 whose heart is somewhere else say they d like to go back home to live, while about half say they re glad to be living elsewhere.